fare

[ fair ]

noun

1. the price of conveyance or passage in a bus, train, airplane, or other vehicle.
2. a person or persons who pay to be conveyed in a vehicle; paying passenger.
3. a person who hires a public vehicle and its driver.
4. food; diet:

   hearty fare.

5. something offered to the public, for entertainment, enjoyment, consumption, etc.:

   literary fare.

6. Archaic. state of things.

verb (used without object)

, fared, far·ing.

1. to experience good or bad fortune, treatment, etc.; get on:

   He fared well in his profession.

2. to go; turn out; happen (used impersonally):

   It fared ill with him.

3. to go; travel.
4. to eat and drink:

   They fared sumptuously.

fare

/ fɛə /

noun

1. the sum charged or paid for conveyance in a bus, train, aeroplane, etc
2. a paying passenger, esp when carried by taxi
3. a range of food and drink; diet

verb

1. to get on (as specified); manage

   he fared well

2. withit as a subject to turn out or happen as specified

   it fared badly with him

3. archaic.
   to eat

   we fared sumptuously

4. archaic.
   often foll by forth to go or travel

Derived Forms

• ˈfarer, noun

Other Words From

• farer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fare¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English faren, Old English faran; cognate with German fahren, Old Norse fara, Gothic faran; akin to emporium, port ⁵, pram ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of fare¹

Old English faran ; related to Old Norse fara to travel, Old High German faran to go, Greek poros ford

Synonym Study

See food.

Example Sentences

A dozen local authorities spent £16.8m on taxi fares, transporting students to and from schools in other areas.

From BBC

In recent years, the company jettisoned metrics like class sizes and giving by alumni and added others, such as how first-generation students fare.

From New York Times

Single fares for the service between North Greenwich in south-east London and Royal Docks in east London are currently £6 for adults and £3 for children aged between five and 15.

From BBC

An extra £151m will also fund a cap in single bus fares outside London, which rose to £3 last month, until the end of 2025.

From BBC

Mr Ashford said it made him wonder how Netflix would fare with future live sports events, given the problems people encountered this time.

From BBC

Related Words

• expense
• price
• tariff
• ticket
• toll